Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 Development Announced: 4K/60p

Panasonic today has officially announced the development of Lumix DMC-GH5 4K mirrorless camera, GH5 will offer 4K/60p capability for the first time in a consumer ILC, and will provide 4:2:2 10-bit 4K video. The GH5 will also provide a 6K Photo mode that will extract 18MP stills from burst footage, or 8MP stills from 60p 4K clips. Panasonic credits advances in processing and heat dissipation for the improvements. Price and release date is not available yet, stay tuned for more info.

Cologne, Germany (September 19, 2016) – Panasonic today announced that it is in development of a new Digital Single Lens Mirrorless (DSLM) Camera LUMIX GH5 that is capable of recording smooth, high-precision 4K 60p/50p and faithful 4:2:2 10-bit 4K video*3 for the first time in the world*1. It also features ‘6K PHOTO’*2which extracts approx.18-megapixel still images from ultra-high-quality video with approx. 9 times the pixel count of Full-HD. The new LUMIX GH5 is scheduled for commercialization and introduction to the global market in early 2017.

Panasonic has been committed to the development of innovative digital cameras under the theme “Create a New Photo Culture in the Digital Era.” The world’s first Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera LUMIX DMC-G1 was introduced in 2008*4 and the subsequent DMC-GH1 achieved the world’s first Full HD video recording in 2009*5.

In 2014, Panasonic introduced the DMC-GH4, which realized 4K 30p/25p video recording for the first time in the industry*6. At the same time, Panasonic proposed a new and unique method of photography called ‘4K PHOTO’ which allows users to capture fleeting photographic moments that even the eyes cannot catch, by using super-fast 4K resolution video frames at 30 fps that can be saved as high-quality photos. As a result, the DMC-GH4 is highly acclaimed for its exceptional hybrid performance in both photography and videography by a wide range of professional users worldwide – not only photographers but also cinematographers in the film production field, as well as emerging photo/video-hybrid creators.

By advancing Panasonic technologies, such as digital signal processing and heat dissipation, and packing them into the compact, lightweight body of a Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera, the LUMIX GH5 enables 4K 60p/50p and 4:2:2 10-bit 4K video recording*3, which has never before been achieved *1. With this unprecedented video recording performance, Panasonic aims to further capitalize on the strength that it has achieved in the film production industry.

In the LUMIX GH5, the conventional ‘4K PHOTO’ function is dramatically advanced to form ‘6K PHOTO’*2 which lets the user cut a still image out of ultra-high-quality approx.18-megapixel video with approx. 9 times the pixel count than Full-HD. Taking advantage of its high-speed, long-time burst shooting capability, spur-of-the-moment shots can be saved in beautiful photos with higher resolution that complies with larger-sized printing by substantially increasing the resolution from approx.8-megapixel (4K PHOTO) to approx.18-megapixel (6K PHOTO*2). Furthermore, approx.8-megapixel 4K Photo images can be captured at a super-fast 60 fps.

*1 For a Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera, as of 19 September, 2016 (Panasonic survey).

*2 “6K PHOTO” is a high speed burst shooting function that cuts a still image out of a 4:3 or 3:2 video footage with approx.18-megapixel (Approx.6000 x 3000 effective pixel count) that 6K image manages. The name ‘6K PHOTO’ is tentative.

*3 In 4K/30p, 25p, 24p, 23.98p video recording.

*4 For a Digital Interchangeable Lens System Camera, as of 12 September, 2008 (Panasonic survey).

*5 For a Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera, as of 3 March, 2009 (Panasonic survey).

*6 For a Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera, as of 7 February, 2014 (Panasonic survey).